Cricket Australia 2010

The Ashes first day November 2010, Gabba, Queensland, Australia - a minute's silence

Australian Humour at the Cricket

Australians have an strange or unique sense of humour and it is quite obvious at a cricket match - especially one between England and Australia. You'd think they were arch enemies, and they are - on the cricket field.

Cricket is a game which was traditionally played over 5 days - and still is, though there are now versions that last around 6 hours. It has a long history that is well documented here. In Australia during the long hot summer, cricket is played on fields everywhere. Men, and sometimes women, dressed in white (long trousers, and shirts) can be seen playing on cricket grounds all over the country.

It is a sport that has a lot of action, and a lot of in action. There are 11 members of a team, with a spare being the 12th man, whose duty it is to take water to the players if they are thirsty, stand in for a player if he/she needs a toilet break or is injured.

One team will bat - with two players suitable dressed in protective gear (helmet, knee pads, and leather cloves (with added padding in some other places too! - ask a player about 'the box'). A batsman will stand with his wooden bat to protect his stumps - three wooden sticks with a bail on top. The bowler will bowl the ball (quite a few rules with this) and try to either hit the stumps, or if the batter hits the ball, the ball may be caught by someone on the same team as the bowler. If there is no bounce the umpire (there are two on field) will decide if the batter is out. If the batter is out, another of his team members will replace him.

Cricket has lots of rules.

If one can attend the cricket it is a bonus, but around Australia if there is a cricket match on television - that's where people will be in summer. Watching the cricket on TV.

The Ashes is the name of a BIG competition between England and Australia. Yesterday was the first day of the current series. England will play Australia five times during the summer, and the team that has the most wins, will win "The Ashes"

The competition between Australia and England is fierce. It can be nasty but most of all it is with a deep sense of humour that we Aussies (despite the fact that most Aussies are descendants of English people who settled in Australia years ago). There is MUCH COMPETITION.

In recent years, English Cricket has had a weird assortment of supporters called "The Barmy Army" who travel the world in support of English cricket and cricketers. They sit together, drink together, and sing together - supposedly to anger the "enemy".

There are many clashes between the Barmy Army supporters and Australians, and this year the Jarmy Army is in full swing to support the Australian Cricketers. It is a new group so no reference to them on the Internet as yet.

Cricket is about sport, and fun and drinking beer!!!

People attend dressed in all sorts of weird gear. Clohes with flags, artwork, slogans in support of their team. People drape themselves with flags, they wear crazy hats. Yesterday a man attended in a spiderman costume, people wear wigs - the Ausssie green and yellow wig is commonplace in the crowd of spectators. There's crazy banter, and lots of fun.

(The video included is an old one - Ian Botham (England) and Merv Hughes (Australia) have both retired. )

I think there are some cricket teams in the US (mainly because English or Aussies started it). It is something that in summer everyone likes to play - back yard cricket is commonplace. The countries that have strong teams and compete regularly in big competitions are England, India, Pakistan, West Indies, and Australia.